The Great Maze
by Cries-at-the-Sky
Summary: A strange black man wakes up in the middle of a great field. Little does he know, he is the key to defeating Tabuu and restoring peace to the Smashers' world.
1. Chapter 1: Existence

**Chapter One: Existence**

**Mr. Game and Watch**

Deep black flecks poured onto the pale dirt ground. They shuffled themselves into a pile of sorts, which rose up and became a two-dimensional caricature of a man. This man was none other than Mr. Game and Watch, though that name would not be given to him yet. With abrupt, jerking, motions, he stood up and looked around. Beeps accommodated his every motion, which then echoed across the landscape with a strange hollowness. It was as if his beeps did not touch the air at all. Then, he knew. He was artificial, a mere construct of dark matter.

He looked down and saw that he was standing atop a golden disk, with some sort of insignia etched into it. He carefully walked off of it and picked it up. Bizarrely, it turned black – just as black as the rest of his body. With a jolt, he let it go. It turned golden and clattered to the ground, with a very real clang, one that belonged. He still had a lot to learn about this world, it seemed. All around him, the majesties of color echoed. Deep blue sky overhead, lush green grass to his sides, and earthen brown underneath. Yet he was nothing but a deep lonely black. Where did he fit in this wonderful world of color? And just why was he formed, anyways?

Just then, a creature rose up above the horizon. It was yellow in color, but had a green shell. More colors! But he could not identify what it was. Then, he_ blinked_. Suddenly, everything was black to him. The creature continued to walk, and he knew that it was a Koopa Troopa, from the seemingly random bits of information he was somehow able to perceive. He blinked once more, and color returned, but the information left him. No. With a bit of effort, he was able to remember that it was indeed a Koopa.

A beep unconsciously rang out to indicate that he had indeed memorized the Enemy Data, whatever that meant, and then the man was curious. It walked closer, and the Koopa seemed to take notice of him at last. It reared back, and unleashed a spinning attack, straight at the man. They made contact, despite the man being supposedly intangible. As he sailed through the air, he supposed that he was at least a part of this world, if only in a way he did not understand. It seemed he could only feel the trophy stand and the Koopa. He landed on the grass, which did not feel like grass at all. It felt like hard flat plastic.

He felt something. It certainly wasn't something he was used to feeling, but then again, he had never felt anything. This something was bad, and he didn't like how it felt. It had started when the Koopa collided into him. The Koopa must have caused it, he decided. He leaped, turned back, and produced a turtle much like the Koopa, but it was black – just like him. It opened its mouth and bit down on the Koopa's head hard, sending it reeling off into the distance. Pity. He would have loved to analyze it further, learning more about this odd world.

It was nothing like the world he had come from. Nothing at all.

His memories flickered for a moment, as he remembered a simple life, working many jobs and making everybody happy. He blinked and tried to recollect just what it was, but it was not easy. Too late, it slipped through his confused mind. Having nothing more to ponder, he set out once more, trophy stand in hand. This golden thing was valuable, somehow. But it wasn't long before he ran into the Koopa from before, not quite knocked out. It charged at him with a furious look in its face. Panicking, he brandished whatever he had in his hand. The wild shell connected with the stand and an immensely bright light poured out of the Koopa. The man had to close his eyes. When he opened them again, the world was black, and he could definitely hear a congratulatory beep. The stand now had the Koopa Troopa, precariously perched in a happy-go-lucky expression, seemingly frozen in time.

**Trophy get!**

** Koopa Troopa: Super Mario Bros (1985)**

_A Henchman of Bowser. In the old days, they'd retreat into their shells for a short while to protect themselves after being stepped upon. Recently, however, some have begun to immediately pop back out. You'll often find them marching straight ahead – if the path ends, they'll just march into the abyss. Surely there are no braver turtles to be found._

The man blinked once more, and he was back in the colorful world, sans trophy. Startled, he blinked, and the trophy was there again, floating in a vast void. He supposed this was how he could keep all that information, then. With no more obstacles, he was once more on his way. He wandered aimlessly for a good while, before finally chancing upon a huge blue lake. It was perfectly clear, so he could see the sky reflected off of it, white clouds and all. Grey mountains jutted out in the distance, and he stopped, admiring the view once again. He continued to stand, thoughts turning from color admiration to total confusion. Just where was he anyways? Parts of this land felt familiar…

An electric crackling filled the air, and forced him to turn around. He blinked, feeling safer with information at hand. Nobody was there, but another one of his "compatible objects" filled his view with a lot of interesting factoids. It was an Arwing, apparently. He examined it closer, pushing a lot of buttons, and it beeped along with his beeps. He felt a kinship with this machine. However, it seemed it was broken, which was evident from the sparks and smoke coming from the front. It still did a number of funny things, such as change the look of the window HUD, dim the lights, and most importantly the beeping. Sometime later, the beeping started to take a life of its own, beeping even when he didn't press anything. Was it… yes, it was. It was definitely trying to communicate with him, in the simplest video game code available, beeps. If one were fluent with the code, the conversation would go something like this:

"Hello, oh strange machine. I wish to understand your purpose."

_Mr. Game and Watch? Is that you?_

"I have no name, none that I know of."

_Ah, so you've lost your memory. That is not a problem. Listen up, wise one. Your name is Mr. Game and Watch. You are one of the Smashers, and, if I'm correct, you are the last one. Please, save the rest. I think I saw someone fall this way._

A map appeared on the window, showing his current location, and the nearest Smasher. Once again, that word evoked strange memories in the man, newly christened Mr. Game and Watch. But they fell through the cracks before he could grasp even one of them. He ignored that and focused on what he could remember: his name. Mr. Game and Watch. He had not a clue what it meant, but it felt good to finally have a presence.

"Thank you, kind machine. I will be on my way."

_Make haste. And do be careful._

Mr. G&W turned around and left, completely failing to notice the polygonal face forming on the HUD. Red eyes narrowed, diagonal mouth opened, and Andross let loose a diabolical laugh. One that only he could hear, of course.

He trudged down the path circling around the lakeshore, beeping a little tune to himself. He was much more confident than before, and he felt like he could take on the whole world, even if he didn't know most of it. An enemy trudged around the corner, blinked, glared, and ran at him. Immediately, G&W activated his black vision, and saw that it was a Primid. Certainly one of the weakest enemies, according to his enemy data. However, the game origin display was left blank. This was puzzling but not a big deal. He simply pulled out that turtle from earlier, and it chomped down on the Primid, which collapsed into a mass of dark specks that seemed very familiar, before disappearing. Huh. He supposed that was what happened when he actually killed an enemy. Quickly, he blinked. He saw a solitary trophy, the Koopa he had gotten from earlier. So, he needed another trophy stand if he wanted more trophies.

Hmm. He took the trophy out, and set it down. The Koopa had a happy smile plastered on it, much unlike what he truly knew it to be like. He looked closer, and accidentally bumped it on the nose. It made an audible whoosh, then light started emitting from it. It had come back to life. It peered about in shock, and that familiar angry face was back. It reeled back and started spinning, but Mr. G&W was faster. He took the stand from underneath it and tapped it against him. A blinding light spilled out again, and Mr. G&W simply put it back in his inventory.

Whistling a beep-filled tune once more, he set out on his way. An ominous ripple echoed in the lake, but he was too busy admiring the green-ness of the trees. Wow. They were so green. He continued in this manner for a bit, while the ripples grew larger and larger. Finally, he took notice. Wow. So blue. He especially liked the way the light rippled off the concentric waves. It was all very… geometric. He turned, just as a huge green monster rose up from the lake, and started circling the skies.

Mr. Game and Watch strode into a large clearing. The Smasher should be somewhere around here, he mused. A golden glint peeked at the corner of his sight. He turned, and saw a trophy! It had some wolf-looking guy who was also humanoid in shape? Hm. He reached over, turning on his black vision, and touched i- BOOM. The green sky serpent crashed down, whipping Mr Game and Watch far away from the trophy with its tail. As he flew through the air once more, he took the time to actually look at the serpent. It was called a Rayquaza, and it looked tough. He didn't like the feeling the tail gave him, though. Wait, it was coming back to him. Pain. A result of countless battles. Tough battles, that hardened him into a warrier. A Smasher. He was here to fight. Ugh. He blinked, and only just barely caught bits of the memory. Namely, that pain was bad and that he was a Smasher, just like the lupine trophy. Was he a trophy? Well, when he came here, he was standing on top of a trophy stand, right? So… if he ever got a stand thrown at him, he'd become a trophy? That doesn't sound like much fun. Neither did pain. He ran away.

Rayquaza followed him, razing paths of destruction through the forest, missing Mr. Game and Watch entirely. Being two-dimensional had its perks sometimes, so it would seem. Its cons too, apparently, as he got lost really easily. He ran around right back into the clearing, next to the wolf trophy. Unfortunately, the serpent chose this moment to turn around, and unleash a Hyper Beam. Some instinctual response made him take out an oil bucket, giving him just enough time to tap the trophy. Doing so, however, allowed Rayquaza to hit him with his tail, hard. He zoomed out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2: Recruit

**Chapter 2 - Recruit**

**Wolf O'Donnell**

Wolf opened his eyes. Blugh. Everything was still blurry. He blinked a few times, cleared his vision, and he saw a huge green serpent, right in front of him. It appeared to be looking for something. It must have been the one to wake him up, and it looked pretty threatening. But he had to fight back. He growled, and got out his blaster. He stepped forward, and tripped out of the trees he had been sleeping in. Wait, sleeping? When did he go to- oh fuck, it saw him! A tail swipe nearly knocked him off his feet, but he deftly backflipped, and landed on the monster's body. He sprinted up the serpentine body, and delivered a fierce claw attack right to the leviathan's eyes. It gave an ear-piercing screech, threw him off, and flew away, apparently deciding he wasn't worth it. He'd probably gone off to look for someone else to devour.

Now then. He did not remember going to sleep, least of all in a bunch of shitty random-ass trees in the middle of nowhere. Come on. Think, Wolf. Last he remembered, he was flying around the Wilds in his Wolfen, aiming to finally take down that bastard Fox and his mangy bird mate. Then… Then a great explosion happened, except it was all… black. His ship got sucked into it. Was there a blue-skinned man involved somewhere? Pah, this isn't important. What was important was to find his Wolfen. It had better not be damaged, or there would be hell to pay.

Taking care not to upset the great serpent again, he sneaked past the forest towards the lake. With his great nose, he proceeded to search around the shore. Sniff. No trace of his ship, but…. Sniff. Wait, was that…? Sniff. Yes! There was definitely the scent of Fox around here. He gave a grin, and started running at a berserk pace, following the scent. The trail ended right over here… And there it was. The Arwing. Except it seemed to be destroyed. Well, if Fox was dead, then all the better for him, he supposed. Just to make sure, he peered inside, and found … nothing. Typical. He turned and walked away, when a very familiar voice shouted out. He stopped right in his tracks, and very slowly turned around.

"… Andross?"

"Wolf O'Donnell. It's a real pleasure, seeing you again."

"I- I thought you were dead."

"I am. This is just a copy of me, revived from an Assist Trophy. Before I was called back, I was able to hack into Fox's Arwing, and here I have remained, in a purely technological form."

"Fox… is he dead?"

"Yes and no."

"What the fuck does that even mean?!"

"It means he has simply been turned into a trophy. He is not truly dead, but he cannot do anything by himself, at least."

"A… trophy?"

"Yes. When a Smasher like yourself is defeated, they turn into a trophy, a petrified state of themselves that can be revived only by the touch of another Smasher."

"Smasher? Damn it, Andross, stop speaking nonsense."

"You've lost your memory, too?"

"Uh. Not all of it. I can remember who I am and all that, but I'm not sure how I ended up here. Wait, what do you mean, too? Who else has been here?"

"That's not the most important thing at the moment. What I want is for you to find Bowser's trophy. He's a big turtle with a green shell. And he can be found here…"

The HUD displayed a map of the entire area, which Wolf tried to take in all at once. Then, it displayed this Bowser's location. He appeared to be all the way across the entire lake. He gave a brief nod to his former partner, and was on his way. He flew all the way across the lake in his Wolfen, preferring to have his only companion with him. Besides, it'd help if that great snake from earlier went on a rampage again. He looked down, and saw a golden glint. That must be the trophy, he decided. He flew down, and looked closer. It was indeed a turtle, bigger than an average one, but not very big. And besides it, there was another trophy, but with an odd thing made of paper on top. He went over to touch the turtle. As he did so, he wondered, what exactly was a Smasher? Did it have something to do with why he was here? And, where was Fox's trophy? If he was defeated, like Andross said, who was the one to defeat him? And how could he kill him like this? His mind reeled with questions, and he was overwhelmed, until a blinding light interrupted his track of thought. The turtle seems to have revived, and it looked at him blankly.

"Um, are you Bowser? Andross wanted to talk to you."

It said nothing, and simply started walking straight ahead.

"Hello? Follow me, or I'll have to resort to force."

Nothing. Wolf snarled and took out his blaster. This seemed to register with "Bowser", who started spinning towards him. Wolf leaped back and gave it a kick, which sent it reeling out of sight. Then it just kinda poofed away in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind a tomato with an M on it. He stood there bemused for a while, before stomping the ground once. Damn. He got away. How would he explain this to Andross? He failed him yet again. He sighed, and went over to touch the paper man, perhaps to see if he would be of some help. If not, he'd just shoot a hole right through it. I mean, it was made out of paper! Right? Looking closer, it seemed a bit odd. He touched it, to try and feel it, but that damn light nearly blinded him again. A BEEP further irritated him as it came to life. So it was a Smasher, then? Looks weak. And annoying, he thought as it, well, seemed to look around. It was only looking in two directions, but that seemed to satisfy it, as it jumped up and cheered.

"Who are you?"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

"Huh? Man your accent is pretty damn thick, I couldn't understand that."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

"Mr… Lame and Botch?"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

"Oh. So you're Mr. Game and Watch? Hmph. You're a weird one."

He suddenly remembered he had to go and tell Andross of his failure. Miserably, he got in his Wolfen, and was about to start it up, when Andross' voice rang out around him.

"Yes, Wolf? Where is Bowser?"

"Andross! Get out of my ship's computer!"

"Ha. Your ship was unguarded and easy to break in. Serves you right, I guess. No, Wolf. Do not worry, I don't plan on breaking your ship. Now bring Bowser here."

"Uh. He kinda attacked me, so I kicked him away. It was in self-defense, alright? Then… he just kinda poofed away."

"…Poofed?"

"Yeah, it was weird. Say, he wasn't actually as big as I expected."

"Did he have spikes on his shell?"

"No."

"Fool. That was not Bowser. That was just an ordinary Koopa. Bowser is the King of them, see? Now go and find him! He shouldn't be too far. "

"Oh."

He got out of his hijacked Wolfen, sighing. That Game Man Watch was still there, too. It waved and beeped. Eh, why not. He decided to ask it where Bowser was. It beeped out a negative, then pointed at him and beeped inquisitively.

"Oh, me? I'm Wolf O'Donnell, great leader of the Star Wolf assault force. And I have to find Bowser. See ya."

He walked away, totally ignoring him. Unfortunately, it followed him. Damn, so he got a new pet, huh? He turned.

"So, you want to join Star Wolf? Unfortunately, I don't just allow scrubs in. Ya gotta do me a favor. Walk that way, and try and find Bowser. He should be a trophy, big green turtle, spiked shell."

It beeped a salute, and ran off. There, that got rid of it. He began walking towards where he thought Bowser was. He should have asked to look at the map again, he mused. Nothing of importance happened on the way over, except for maybe a few more Koopas, which he simply used the blasters on. They weren't very strong. So, he pondered his existence. He really had no idea how he came to be here. All he knew was that he was chasing down Fox and Falco, then apparently, he was somewhere else, he remembered as he dug through his memories. Andross had said he lost his memories, so what exactly happened? There was that black explosion. It looked a bit like a black hole, but it seemed to rapidly expand. There was that "Koopa" that had poofed in smoke dropping a strange item behind, and the other Koopas that did the same. And, there was him being a "Smasher"… Just what did that mean? If it meant he smashed Koopas, then he was doing a good job of it. He chuckled, when, as if it was called for, a Koopa came up around the bend. Sighing, he blasted it, and waited to see what would come out. It was a circular thing with a B… wait. Was that… a smart bomb?! What the hell? Walking carefully towards it, he picked it up and placed it on his belt. This would definitely come in handy later…

An irritating BEEP just barely tickled Wolf's ears, yet it was enough to make him growl. Damn, it was back. He calmed himself, thinking this must mean that it had found something. It was beeping frantically, motioning for him to follow it. Hm. They walked, and it wasn't far until they found another trophy. Hmm. Large green turtle, spiky shell. It must be Bowser. He simply touched the trophy, and a blinding light came out of it. Immediately, a monstrous roar echoed across the land, then Bowser started breathing fire at, well, everything. Grass was lit aflame, and trees started burning down. Then, as suddenly as it started the fire stream stopped.

"Whuh- huh?"

"Damn it, you idiot! Don't just"

"Shush, you. Where am I? Was I just a trophy?"

"Grr. Yes. Whatever that means."

"GRAAAAAH! He got me, too! Ugh, this is just too humiliating! Makes me wanna…"

"Don't you start. Andross called for you, and I'd better get you back to him, before I get my ass handed to me."

"Andross? Who the hell is that?"

"Just follow me."

"No, wait. What happened? Did we get him? Or did he get us?"

"Who is this damn him?"

"Tabuu, idiot. Oh, whatever. I thought you might be another one of us, you know. You do look a little like this Fox guy."

"Don't compare me to Fox! Wait, you know him?"

"Kinda. He was a Smasher like me, but that's all I know, really."

"Smasher? There's that word again. So he's one as well? Why would we both be Smashers…?"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

Bowser gave a bit of a jump, having not noticed Mr Game and Watch. "Wha? Oh, it's just you, Game and Watch."

"Sigh. Okay, so we're all Smashers, whatever that means. Let's just go, Andross is getting pissed."

They went back to the Wolfen, talking a bit as they did so.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

"What? Everybody has been defeated, you say? Damn! That bastard! I will crush his head under my feet!"

"So what is this Smasher thing, anyways."

"Grr. Oh. Uh, it's like, this whole tournament thing? Um. Somehow, I can't really remember a lot of it. But I do know that Tabuu is killing us off. The last thing I remember was dying to him."

"Well, yeah, me too. Only thing I can remember is getting sucked into a black void. That's why I'm asking you."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

"You've got it worse, then."

"Hey, how can you understand him so easily? I still struggle with that accent."

"Oh, it depends on how old your first game is."

"My what?"

_To be continued_

_A/N: I know it might be a little confusing here, but I'll try to clear up some of it in the following chapters. In the meantime, just enjoy the ride!_


	3. Chapter 3: Smasher

_Disclaimer: Super Smash Bros. and associated characters are owned by Nintendo._

**Chapter 3: Smasher**

**King Bowser Koopa**

"My what?" The Fox look-a-like held his jaw open in confusion. Bowser stopped walking, startling this... not a Fox. Bowser looked at him incredulously. Then, he let back his head, and burst out a roaring, guttural laugh. The expression on Wolf's face turned from confusion to irritation, as Bowser fell on his back, shaking the earth with his frankly-way-too-loud laughing.

"Stop that."

"GWAHAHAHA!"

"That's it, I'm out of here."

"AHAHA- no wait let me just- AHAHAHA! Whoo! Sorry, just... the look on your face! AHAHAHA!"

"..."

"Okay, okay. So... you don't know about, like, video games and stuff?"

"Of course I know about games! Haven't played 'em since I was a pup, though."

"Well, hate to break it to you, but you're a video game character."

"I'm a whaaaat? That can't be! I mean-"

"Shh. Let me tell a story. A while back, this omniscient hand just kind of appeared out of nowhere, and plucked me from my castle. And just when I was about to stomp that cursed Mario at last! Of course, I got angry and stormed the place for a bit, but then I saw Mario standing on the other side of this... cutesy storybook land."

"Ugh."

"Yeah, it was disgusting. So I was prepared to kick his ass as usual, but he picks up a baseball bat out of nowhere and slams me right in the face with it. I flew right off the stage."

"Ouch. So..."

"It didn't hurt, actually. Well, not much. Anyways, I ended up in this, well, tech-y place. And there was Mario, smiling like he didn't just hit me in the face with a baseball bat. A loud voice came out of nowhere, saying that Mario was the winner. Then I ended up back in, like, a living area. Like, a really big house. I was too confused to even punch Mario in the face. We weren't the only people there, though. There was all sorts of crazy people and uh pink blobs and stuff. Even Peach was there! They were all talking to each other about a tournament or something, so I go over to Peach. She didn't even look angry at me this time, not like all those other times I tried to kidnap her. She just went 'Oh, Bowser! You're here too!' And that's how I came here."

"I don't understand... where is this? Is this a video game?"

"Not exactly. We're in the Super Smash Brothers Tournament, this thing that Master Hand- that's the hand I mentioned- is running. We are the Smashers. Looks like you're the new one."

"But... How did it just take me? How did... How are you okay with this?! Some omnipotent entity just pit you and other people together for kicks! And I... And Fox is here, too! How long has he been here? I just fought with him not long ago!"

"Shut up for a minute, that's way too many questions. As far as I know, it's complicated, and I don't care. But what I do know is that you and I and even Mr. Blacky over there are just clones. Our real selves are still fighting our mortal nemeses... lucky them. Fox has been here for much longer than I have."

Wolf scowled. He did not like the idea of being a clone. When Bowser told him to deal with it and walked off, he just followed, lost in thought. So, he was a... character in this big tournament thing? And he was just a clone? But he had all his memories and all his personalities. He wasn't sure if he could trust this plainly evil-looking turtle, but he looked just a bit too dim to make up a lie like that.

As Wolf's mind reeled, Bowser's reflected on his own past as a Smasher. Being constantly paired up against enemies, relaxing in the Smash Mansion afterwards, chatting it up with Peach... those were the good days. Hell, Peach had been much nicer to him than usual. That was enough of a reason for him to like this place. That is, until the Subspace Emissary happened. He had been assigned a role by Master Hand, to capture the rest of the Smashers and bring them to him. He didn't really want to at first, but when Master Hand threaten- ahem, persuaded, him with the fact that he could easily bar contact with Peach, he had no choice but to do as the hand wished. This and that happened, then it turned out Tabuu was controlling Master Hand. He had been played like a sucker. He growled.

**Wolf O'Donnell**

Verdant leaves flew down around him, as his company strolled through the forest together. The walk took a while, but Wolf did not notice, as he was lost in thought. This was... entirely different, yes. But Fox and even Andross was here. He would have to talk with Andross as soon as they returned to the lake shore. He looked up and around, then he realized he couldn't see the water anymore. He had wandered astray.

"Hey! Bowser! We're going the wrong way! It's this way."

"You go that way, I'll go this way."

"Andross commanded me to bring you to him, and I will not let you get away."

"Andross? Hmm... Nope, doesn't ring a bell. Okay, see ya around."

"Grr. You will come with me, no matter what."

Wolf took out his blaster. If he let Bowser get away, Andross would be angry. At the indistinct shiing of the blaster starting up, Bowser finally turned around. He stomped the ground once, and roared, flames leaking through his teeth. Mr. Game and Watch made a couple of inquisitive beeps, looking back and forth between the two. Then, Bowser began speaking.

"Now, listen here, newcomer! In case I didn't get this idea through your thick head, we are in danger! Tabuu is still out there, and he has already defeated us all once. Even Master Hand was controlled! We need to find the rest of the Smashers, and smash Tabuu's ugly blue mug in!"

Then he let loose a tremendous blast of flame, fueled by anger. The trees surrounding the clearing became charred. Wolf rolled aside behind a tree, using it as cover. He looked back out, aiming his blaster at the great turtle. But Bowser was already gone. Wolf growled, and threw his blaster down at the ground. Mr. Game and Watch suddenly beeped, startling him. He had forgotten the diminutive black man was there.

"You let him get away too! Now, where did he go?"

Mr. Game and Watch fidgeted here and there with small beeps. With Bowser's story, more was coming to him. Bowser had mentioned he was a Smasher as well, and he was a video game character. This Wolf was new, and seemed to be in the same position as him at first, but he seemed to have retained his memory of his former life. Mr. Game and Watch had none. Bowser seemed to be able to explain more than him, so he supposed he was on Bowser's side here. He didn't want them to fight anymore, so he looked up and met Wolf's eyes. He beeped out a quick apology, and leaped up in the air, propelled by some strange firemen that had come out of nowhere with a trampoline and subsequently disappeared. Instinctually, he opened a parachute and floated away over the tops of the trees.

"No, damn it! Not you too!"

Andross was going to be pissed. He had been gone long enough, so he supposed it was high time he walked back and informed him of the current situation. Mark his words, Bowser was going to pay.

**Mr. Game and Watch**

He had located Bowser with relative ease, thanks to the trail of broken trees, which was much more visible from above. He floated down and beeped a greeting to the still-irate turtle.

"Hmph. Glad you're still with me, at least."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

"Yeah, he was being stupid. If he interferes again, he will go down. For now, we've got to go after the other smashers. You didn't see anybody else, did you?"

"BEEP."

"Alright. Let's keep moving."

Mr. Game and Watch followed for a bit, then, with a loud BEEP, he remembered something. Looking at Bowser's shell he had remembered another smaller turtle that he had met during his journey.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

"So you have met someone else?"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

"A turtle, like me? But... smaller? That must be one of my Koopa Troopas! So they're still around, huh? Well, looks like we've got a lead! Could you lead me to the place where you found this Koopa?"

"BEEP!"

He trudged off, and Bowser followed, looking considerably more cheered than before.

**Wolf O'Donnell**

He sighed miserably as he got in his Wolfen. This was the second time he would report to Andross and this was the second time he had failed. Andross was legendary for his anger, so he would not get off easy. He groaned, and resigned himself to his fate, then he pressed the button activating his display.

"Did you find him?"

"Yes. And it was definitely Bowser. We talked. But, he got away before I could bring myself here. I deeply apologize for failing you a second time."

"Failing me? No, you did fine. I thought this would happen. With Bowser leading the new Smasher resistance, my plan has come in effect perfectly. You've done well."

"I- uh. Oh, thanks. It was my pleasure. But... Well, Bowser said quite a few interesting things to me. Something about this being a huge tournament, and me being just a clone of my real life counterpart. Or something."

"Yes, Wolf. You are a Smasher, and it is your fate to fight the other Smashers for Master Hand's amusement. But this situation is different. Tabuu has taken over, and made a maze of sorts. This lake is not the only thing that exists here. Scattered here and there are doors to other worlds, where other Smashers live. Bowser is surely aware of these doors, so you need to go back to him and join the resistance he will surely create. You will be my inside man. Take this communicator."

In a compartment somewhere in the cockpit, a thud emerged. Wolf opened it, and picked up a small roundish device, which he then put on his belt. He left the ship, then breathed in. He would have to track this Bowser down, and... he shuddered. He would have to apologize.

To be continued...

_A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating! Finals, you know. To those of you in the loop, sorry for the even bigger delay! To those of you not in the loop, this used to be a 2012 NaNoWriMo story, but as you can probably see, I failed. I recently decided to bring this back and write for it again. So this chapter might seem different from the previous ones somehow. Well, I guess this is it. The Great Maze is back. Thanks to my reviewers for all their kind words! The reviews actually did help in getting me to write again. So, you know what to do! ;) (That was a joke. No reviews are actually necessary, I will keep writing regardless of whether I get any further reviews.)_


	4. Chapter 4: Passage

Chapter 4: Passage

**Princess Zelda of Hyrule**

She opened her eyes. Sensing a hostile presence, she immediately conjured some magic in her hands. It was only once she took in her surroundings that she realized she wasn't fighting Tabuu anymore. She was in some forest somewhere. More specifically, in a clearing, with a dirt path cutting through the middle. A beep startled her, and she leaped back. Then she noticed the diminutive black man, who had apparently woken her up. She gave a sigh of relief, and started laughing softly. Mr. Game and Watch had been a good friend to her aboard the Halberd. There was no question about whether Zelda trusted him. The dark figure in the distance, on the other hand...

Bowser. He was slashing down trees, looking for something. Zelda briefly wondered whether he knew she was there, but Mr. Game and Watch let out some beeps, reassuring her that the spiky turtle meant no harm. Bowser chose this moment to finally turn, and begin trudging towards the princess. As he did so, he began speaking in a booming voice.

"So you're here as well, huh Zelda? Have you seen any Koopas... nah you only just woke up."

With a stern look on her face now, she demanded, "What happened? Weren't we fighting Tabuu...?"

"Yeah. We lost, apparently. Somehow this guy here avoided getting Trophied, and saved Wolf, who then saved me. It's just us three. Well, and some Koopa Troopas."

Then he gave a dissatisfied snort, and turned around, meaning to go down the dirt path. Zelda, however, stopped him.

"So... everyone's in here? Just... as trophies?"

"I guess so. Look, you're free to follow, but don't bug me with useless questions."

Zelda scowled, then sighed. At least Mr. Game and Watch would be more receptive. She looked down.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP?"

"Huh? Who am I? We know each other!"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP..."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know you had lost your memory," she said with a reassuring smile. "I'm Princess Zelda of Hyrule, but I suppose Hyrule isn't around for me to rule anymore. You can just call me Zelda."

Unbidden, her memories of Hyrule came rushing back. Particularly, of Link... and Ganondorf. Link, the Hero of Courage, the one who had saved her so many times. Ganondorf, the Dark Prince, her frequent oppressor. They were both here. She knew that she would have to find Link's trophy quickly, and save him. She smiled a bit at this irony, but then sombered up when she thought about Ganondorf. No matter what, Ganondorf was sure to bring trouble, but he did seem committed to beating Tabuu, when they last met. She supposed she would have to find his trophy as well, if only to give their resistance a fighting chance. A roar in the distance shook her from her reverie.

"DAMN IT! They aren't anywhere around here! Blacky, are you sure you saw one around here?"

Mr. Game and Watch raised his hands in surrender, then nodded shakily, beeping all the while.

"They must have wandered off."

He trudged on further into the forest without any further preamble, followed by Mr. Game and Watch, and Zelda found herself with no choice but to follow.

Wolf O'Donnell

A door? In the middle of a forest?

Wolf had been wandering the forest, attempting to follow Bowser's trail. However, he got sidetracked by the appearance of a mysterious door ever so slightly hidden by the foliage. It was pretty easy to miss, but Wolf's keen eye had caught on to it instantly. It didn't seem like Bowser went through it, but such a thing was so incongruous that he had to examine it. So, he got closer.

It was emitting a vague aura of dark energy, and he became a little nervous. But, the great Wolf O'Donnell, leader of Star Wolf, was never one to back down from a challenge, especially not a door. He opened the door, and saw only a swirling void beyond. He tried to stop himself from going in, but the pull was irresistable. He went through. The door closed, and he could only see a maelstrom of black and white. Then, he found himself going through another door. He came out in the middle of a clearing in a forest, wondering what in the world just happened. He began to collect his bearings. He was in the middle of a forest, but the trees were clearly different than the one he just left. The clearing was pretty big, and there was a circle made of stone tiles. Embedded in the middle was a smaller circle of light, with some odd circle-shaped insignia floating above it. Then... he looked up.

"What the heck?!"

The orange sky was broken. A large yawning crack lay in the middle. Beyond, there was only a purple, smoky, void. Instantly, he knew. This world was dying. He stood there, gaping thoughtlessly, until a call from Andross shook him out of his daze.

"What are you doing? Are you following Bowser?"

He picked up his communicator right away, despite still being in shock.

"...Um. Oh, yeah I'm on his trail. I just had to investigate something, that's all."

"Well, get going! We have no time to waste."

He shut off his communicator, and made to turn back towards the door he left.

**Mr. Game and Watch**

_Zelda: The Legend of Zelda (1987)_

_The princess of Hyrule. In other games, her role changes between titles. In Ocarina of Time, she was hunted by the would-be conqueror, Ganondorf. She deceived him, however, by adopting the persona of Sheik. In Twilight Princess, she surrendered to Zant and was held as his prisoner._

Mr. Game and Watch mulled over Zelda's bio as they walked. Since he was the one to revive Zelda, he had inadvertently gotten Zelda's trophy information. Of course, he had asked her her name anyways, because that's only polite, right? At least, that's what he thought. This world still felt quite artificial to him, but it no longer felt unfamiliar. The people he met... he knew he had met them before. His memory was still slowly leaking back in. He now remembered Zelda as a friend... and Bowser as an enemy. But why was Bowser helping them? Probably for a personal reason, he mused. Still, it was better than fighting him. He caught up to Bowser, and Zelda followed not long after. They entered a new clearing, one the same as before, but there was one stark difference.

"A door?" Bowser said incredulously. "In the middle of a field? Now what the hell is this doing here?"

"Careful," Zelda warned. "It looks... dark. There is an aura that surrounds it."

"Ha! Stuff like that doesn't scare me. Well, only one thing to do now." He stomped over, and placed a massive claw on one of the knobs. Beyond lay a vast, expansive, void, which immediately felt familiar to Mr. Game and Watch. This was undeniably the matter that lay behind the worlds. It may have been where he came from. Before he could investigate further, Bowser walked in, and disappeared. He felt compelled to follow, and he did. Zelda was wary at first, so she had put up a magical mind-block before Bowser opened the door. Still, it looked okay. And, it wasn't like she wanted to be left behind. She walked through.

They floated through the void, and saw another door. Unbidden, it opened for them, and they flew through it.

They found themselves on top of a huge cliff. There were other rocks in the distance, and the air was very dry and windy up here. Mr. Game and Watch could tell that they were in another world entirely, but it looked the same as the one they had just left. Zelda looked back, to ascertain that the door was still there. It was. Then Bowser scratched his head, and spoke up.

"Now what just happened? Any ideas, magic girl?"

"That must have been a portal of some sort... though why we ended up here I haven't a clue."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

"Another world? But this one looks the same. I can even see a forest in the distance, and a lake."

"Hmph. Whatever. The Koopas must have gotten through this door somehow."

Bowser turned away from the cliff top, and walked past the door. Suddenly, a thunk resonated through the quiet land, as Bowser found his snout pressed against a seemingly invisible wall. There was a vibration in the empty space, and the sky, the background, and everything that lay beyond rippled along with it. Then, the ripples stilled, the clouds in the sky still moving. But from that moment, the three of them knew this whole world was merely a construction. Bowser scratched his head again.

"So, we aren't back in the World of Trophies?"

"Tabuu must have created this world," Zelda guessed. "For what purpose, I cannot imagine."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

"You're right. This 'world' must be a contained 'bubble' of sorts, and that door lets us pass between them."

Bowser, meanwhile, was testing the extent of the wall. It completely surrounded them, leaving only the cliff and whatever lay below it ahead of them.

"Well, let's get moving!"

Recklessly, Bowser tucked into his shell, and rolled down the cliff. Zelda was about to call out in concern, but stopped herself. This was Bowser, after all. Say what you want about him, but his shell is nigh indestructible. Sighing, she cast Farore's Wind instead, and appeared at the bottom. Mr. Game and Watch used the Parachute move he had learned by accident earlier, and calmly floated down.

They ended up on a rocky ledge not too far from the ground, and with another door within sight. Of bigger concern, however, were the Primids, now climbing up onto the ledge, and surrounding them. They readied their respective battle poses.

**Rayquaza**

The insects were finally gone. He had been roaming the skies, watching them from above. That accursed wolf, the one who had slashed his face, was gone, in another one of the bubbles. Good riddance. But... what was going on? They shouldn't have been alive. Tabuu made sure of their Trophication. He would have to investigate this, then report to Lord Tabuu. He soared upwards, effortlessly phasing through the walls of the bubble into the void.

* * *

Sorry this chapter is slightly shorter than the others. I'm still picking up speed. So, anyways, I guess an explanation is in order here. I've been looking at the Great Maze, in the game, and apparently the Lake level isn't there. But Rayquaza's boss level is, so I guess that's where everyone started out. Wolf went through the main door, to one of the Hubs found in the level. Everybody else went back to the Ruins, to the door above the cliffs. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep the levels in order. Reviews are appreciated, even the negative ones.


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